Messages are sent between users of a computing device, such as via electronic mail (“e-mail”), instant messaging, social media (e.g., social networking sites), text messaging, etc. In the context of these messages between the sender and the recipient, the sender may include a colloquialism in the message. A colloquialism is a word, phrase or paralanguage that is employed in conversational or informal language. Colloquialisms are used in “everyday” conversation, and, increasingly, through informal online interactions. Examples of colloquialisms include words, such as “gonna,” “wanna,” and “ya'll,” as well as phrases, such as “old as the hills,” “raining cats and dogs,” “dead as a doornail,” and “what's up.” Such use of colloquialisms is appropriate in specific contexts.
Often, an application program, such as a spell checker and/or grammar checker, will be used to spell check and/or grammar check the message (e.g., e-mail, instant message) prior to the sender transmitting the message to the recipient. However, such application programs may not be tuned to the use of colloquialisms, let alone the appropriate usage of the colloquialisms based on the context. As a result, such application programs may not correctly spell and/or grammar check the message. Furthermore, programs, such as a thesaurus, that offer alternative words or phrases similar to the meaning of a designated word or phrase do not take into consideration colloquialisms. Hence, these programs are limited in their recommended alternative words or phrases to be used.